Nocking jig



Allg- 29, 1967 IN. l.. MCWHERTER 3,338,772

NOCKING JIG I Filed March 25, 1964 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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Aug. 29, `1967 N. 1 MGWHERTER NOCKING J-IG Filed Maron 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet :i

INVENTOR.

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Unitecl States Patent iiice 3,338,772 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,772 NOCKING JIG Ned L. McWherter, Rte. 5, P.O. Box 101, Greeneville, Tenn. 37743 Filed Mar. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 354,553 4 Claims. (Cl. 156-423) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Support appar-atus for an arrow to receive 4a nock, the support apparatus including chuck means to releasably receive and hold a nock to be adhesively connected to the nock end of an arrow as the adhesive sets, and said support means including means engageable with the arrow intermediate its ends to support the same in -alignment with the applied nock, all of the support means being adjustable to accommodate arrows whose diameters may vary from one to another.

This invention relates to a nocking jig and more particularly to a jig for securing a nock to an arrow which holds the arrow and nock in true alignment While these elements are being secured to e-ach other.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a nocking jig which is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, utilize, and maintain.

Another object of the instant invention is the provision of a jig which will hold a nock and an arrow shaft in true alignment while the rearward portion of the shaft is being adhesively secured to the nock.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a jig which is capable of nocking both ietched Iand unfletched arrow shafts.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a jig of the type described which will selectively hold arrows of different diameters in true alignment with a nock of the selected diameter during the gluing of the nock to the yarrow shaft.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of parts, and features of construction.

Still other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out as the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of one form of nocking jig in accordance with the instant inventive concept operatively carrying a iletched arrow, certain hidden parts being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is a left end elevational view of the device as shown in FIGURE 1 with the arrow removed;

FIGURE 3 is a rightl end elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the frame means showing an alternate hinge position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a different portion of the frame means showing still lanother alternate hinge position;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of nocking jig in accordance with the instant inventive concept, a iletched arrow being operatively carried thereby, with certain hidden parts 'being shown in dotted lines; and

FIGURE 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 7-7 of FIGURE 6 with various diameter arrow shafts being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of `a detail portion of the means for selectively alignv ing one of the notches in the plate members with the portions of the chuck means holding the nock;

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational View of a simplified nocking jig similar to the embodiment shown in FIG- URES 6 to 8; and

FIGURE 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 10-10 of FIGURE 9.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in general, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 5, one form of nocking jig in accordance with the instant inventive concept is designated generally by the reference numeral 20 and comprises basically a light weight frame means 22 xedly or removably secured in any conventional manner to a supporting surface 24 such as a work table or the like, a chuck means 26 secured to a rst part 28 of the frame means 22, portions of the chuck means 26 removably holding a nock 30, and a support means 32 secured to a second part 34 of the frame means 22 in spaced relationship to the chuck means 26, portions of the support means 32 removably holding an arrow 36 intermediate the ends of the same, the portions of the support means 32 holding the arrow 36 being aligned with the portions of the chuck means 26 holding the nock 30 whereby the arrow is held in a true position with respect to the nock while the nock is being secured to the arrow.

The chuck means 26 is either a commercial type tap wrench with its handle removed or a commercial collet chuck having jaw means 38 operatively carried thereby and actuated in any lconventional manner by rotation of the outer sleeve 40 on the threaded carrier 42 to securely hold the nock 30 in position. The chuck means 26 is preferably rotatably carried in the part 28 of the frame means 22 by a bearing means 44 or the like to allow rotation of the same after the nock 30 has been secured therein so that the conventional nock index may be aligned with the cock feather on the arrow 36. A standard set screw or the like 46 is utilized to secure the chuck means 26 in selected position as to the nock index and cock feather have been aligned.

In this embodiment, the support means 32 is comprised of an additional chuck means such as a commercial type drill chuck which has been modified by providing an opening therethrough so that the arrow 36 may be passed completely through the same without actuating the jaw means 48 which are operatively carried thereby in any conventional manner. The additional chu-ck means 32 is iixedly secured by screws or the like 50 to the second part 34 of the frame means 22 -and a modified actuating means in the form of a tubular member 52 or hollowed bolt has been threadably secured in the opening with an apertured disc 54 engaged by the tubular member 52 and abutting the jaw means 48 whereby rotation of the tubular member 52 presses the disc 54 against the jaw means 48 to actuate the same for holding the arrow 36 which passes through the opening in the additional chuck means 32, the yaperture in the disc 54 and the tubular member 52 as clearly shown in FIGURE 1.

The use and operation of the emlbodiment described hereinabove will now be apparent. A nock 30 is placed in the chuck means 26 and the outer sleeve 40 is rotated on the threaded shaft 42 to tighten the jaw means 38 for holding the nock in position. An arrow 36 is passed through the additional chuck means 32 and the rearward end of the same -is treated with any conventional adhesive material and engaged in an opening in the nock 30. The chuck means 26 is rotated in the bearing means 44 until the nock index is aligned with the cock feather and theset screw 46 is then tightened to secure the adjusted relation. The tubular member l52 is rotated to tighten the jaw means 48 of the additional chuck means 32 for securing the arrow 36 in true alignment with the nock 30 while the adhesive means is allowed to set or dry.

If a fletched arrow, or one having its feathers 56 prevlously secured thereto, is to be nocked by the jig of the instant invention, it is necessary to provide relative movement between the two parts 28, 34 of the frame means 22 so that the portions of the chuck means 26 holding the nock 30 and the portions of the additional chuck means 32 holding the arrow 36 may be unaligned for reception and subsequent removal of the arrow. This is accomplished by providing a hinge means pivotally securing one of the parts of the frame means 22 to the other of the parts. A preferred position of the hinge means is shown at 58 in FIGURES 1 and 3. Alternate positions of the hinge means are shown at 60' and 62 in FIGURES 4 and 5, respectively. The hinge means may be formed in any convention-al manner, a preferred construction being shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 wherein one of the parts of the frame means 22 is bifurcated as at 64 for receiving therebetween a tongue 66 of the other part. A hinge pin 70 pivotally secures the two parts to each other and a tapered dowel or the like 72 locks the two parts in a true position after the arrow 36 has been received by the additional chuck means 32.

It will be seen that an integral or unhinged frame means will be satisfactory for unetchcd arrows, but that it is necessary to provide for pivotal movement of some portion of the frame means if a etched arrow is to be nocked by the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 5.

FIGURES 6 to 8 show a modified form of the device of the instant invention which will receive a fletched arrow such as shown at 74 carrying feathers 76 for securing the same to a nock 78 without the necessity of breaking down the frame means during the nocking operation. This embodiment designated generally by the reference numeral 80, includes a frame means 82 carrying a chuck means `84 substantially the same as the chuck means 26 in the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 5 and rotatably secured in a similar manner by a bearing means l86 with a set s-crew 88 to secure the same -in adjusted relation after the index of the nock 78 has -been aligned with the cock feather. The support means of this embodiment is designated generally by the reference numeral 90` and comprises at :least one plate member 92, a pair of spaced plate members being shown as preferred, with the periphery of the plate members 92 defining a plurality of spaced notch means 94 varied in size for holding arrows having different diameters shown in dotted lines at 74 in FIGURE 7 in aligned relationship with the portions of the chuck means '84 holding the nock 78. The plurality of notch means 94 are defined about a circle on their respective plate member 92 with an axle means in the form of a bolt 96 rotatably securing the plate member 92 at the center of the aforementioned circle to a support member 98 fixed to the frame means 82 by screws or the like 100 in spaced relationship to the chuck means `84. A plurality of recesses 102 are defined in the rear of each plate member 92 for reception of a detent 104 secured in an aperture 106 in the support member 98 by a threaded plug 108 with a spring means 110 normally biasing the detent 104 toward the associated plate member 92. The recesses 102 are so arranged as to selectively align one of the notch means 94 with the portions of the chuck means 84 holding the nock 78.

The use and operation of the embodiment of FIG- URES 6 to S will now be apparent. A nock 78 is secured in the chuck means 84 in an obvious manner. The plate members 92 are rotated about their respective axles 96 to selectively align a particular notch means 94 with the chuck means '84. The arrow 74 is then rested on the selected notch means 94 with its rearward end engaged in the nock 78, conventional adhesive or other means securing these elements to each other.

A simplified nocking jig is shown in FIGURES 9 and 10 at 120 and includes a frame means 122 carrying a chuck means 124 similar to chuck means 84 and 26 of the embodiments described hereinbefore, the chuck means 124 being adapted to hold a nock 126 and to align the index of the same with the cock feather of an arrow 128 by rotation in a bearing means 130, the set screw 132 locking the chuck means 124 in position. The frame means l122 carries a support means 134 .in the form of plate mem-bers 136 secured by screws or the like 138 and having a single notch means 140 defined by their periphery for holding the arrow 128. The basic distinction between this embodiment and the embodiment of FIG- URES 6 to 8 is that the construction in FIGURES 9 and 10 is adapted for nocking a plurality of arrows each having shafts of the same diameter. The plate members or blocks 136 may .be lremoved and replaced by other members having a different size notch means for nocking arrows of a different diameter.

In each of the last two described embodiments the notch means of the plate members may be marked to indicate the particular diameter arrow shaft they are designed to accommodate.

It will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved nocking jig which will function to accurately align an arrow shaft with the nock. The nocking operation has been performed heretofore by hand, resulting in poor final products which were inaccurate in flight. Thus, the `devices shown in the instant application `will be seen to have great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, and since many rnodications may be made of the embodiments hereinbefore shown and described, it will be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A jig for securing a nock to an arrow comprising a frame means, a first chuck means secured to a first part of said frame means, portions of said chuck means removably holding a nock, a support means secured to a second part of said frame means in spaced relationship to said first chuck means, said support means including an additional chuck means iixedly connected on the second part of said frame means, an opening defined through said additional chuck means for receiving the arrow therethrough, said opening being aligned with said portions of said first `chuck means holding the nock whereby said arrow is held in true position with respect to the nock while the nock is being secured to the arrow, jaw means operatively carried by said additional chuck means and dening said portions of said support means holding the arrow, means to actuate said jaw means, said actuating means including a tubular member threadably carried in said opening of said additional chuck means, a disc engaged by said tubular member having portions abutting said jaw means and having an aperture defined therein, the arrow passing through said opening in said additional chuck means, said aperture in said disc and said tubular member, rotation of said tubular member forcing said disc against the jaw means to actuate said jaw means, and hinge means ypivotally securing one of said parts of said frame means to the other of said part of said frame means whereby said one part may be selectively moved with respect to the other part to'unalign said portions of said chuck means and the portions of said additional chuck means for reception and subsequent removal of a lletched arrow.

2. A jig for securing a nock to an arrow comprising a frame means, a chuck means secured to a first part of said frame means, portions of said chuck means removably holding a nock, a support means secured to a second part of said frame means in spaced relationship to said chuck means, said support means including at least one plate member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced notch means at the periphery thereof and defining said portions of said support means holding the arrow, said spaced notch means being defined about a circle having its center on said plate member, said .spaced notch means being varied in size to Ihold arrows having different diameters in alignment with said portions of said chuck -means holding said nock, and means to position a selected notch means in alignment with said portions of said chuck means including an axle means rotatably supporting each plate member at its respective center.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said means to align a selected notch means with said portions of said chuck means further includes a plurality of recesses deined in said plate member and a spring-pressed detent selectively engaged in one of said recesses.

4. A jig for securing a nock to an arrow comprising a frame means, a rst chuck means secured to a first part of said frame means, portions of said chuck means removably holding a nock, a support means secured to a second part of said frame means in spaced relationship to said first chuck means, said support means including an additional chuck means Xedly connected on the second part of said frame means, an opening defined through said additional chuck means for receiving the arrow therethrough, said opening being aligned with said portions of said first chuck means holding the nock whereby said arrow is held in true position with respect to the nock while the nock is being secured to the arrow, jaw means operatively carried by said additional chuck means and deiining sai-d portions of said support means holding the arrow, means to actuate said jaw means, said actuating means including an elongated hollow tubular member disposed in said opening of said additional-chuck means and axially adjustable relative thereto, said arrow passing through said opening in said additional chuck means, said hollow tubular member and said aperture formed in said disc, said hollow tubular member having an end disposed in juxtaposition relative to said jaw means and being movable in one direction relative to said opening to an adjusted position to engage said jaw means to activate the same, means releasably securing said hollow tubular member in its said adjusted position, and hinge means pivotal- 1y securing one of said parts of said frame means to the other of said parts of said frame means whereby said one part may be selectively moved with respect to the other part to unalign said portions of said chuck means and said portions of said additional chuck means 4for reception and subsequent removal of a fletched arrow.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,670,253 5/1928 Gilbert et al. 269-45 2,731,992 1/1956 Lozon 269-38 2,742,064 4/1956 Quist 269-38 2,918,097 12/1959 Thompson 269-38 3,015,483 1/1962 Martin 269-38 3,121,280 2/1964 McFadden 29-200 EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner.

I. T. MELOCHE, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A JIG FOR SECURING A NOCK TO AN ARROW COMPRISING A FRAME MEANS, A CHUCH MEANS SECURED TO A FIRST PART OF SAID FRAME MEANS, PORTIONS OF SAID CHUCK MEANS REMOVABLY HOLDING A NOCK, A SUPPORT MEANS SECURED TO A SECOND PART OF SAID FRAME MEANS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID CHUCK MEANS, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PLATE MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED NOTCH MEANS AT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF AND DEFINING SAID PORTIONS OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS HOLDING THE ARROW, SAID SPACED NOTCH MEANS BEING DEFINED ABOUT A CIRCLE HAVING ITS CENTER ON SAID PLATE MEMBER, SAID SPACED NOTCH MEANS BEING VARIED IN SIZE TO HOLD ARROWS HAVING DIFFERENT DIAMETERS IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PORTIONS OF SAID CHUCK MEANS HOLDING SAID NOCK, AND MEANS TO POSITION A SELECTED NOTCH MEANS IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PORTIONS OF SAID CHUCK MEANS INCLUDING AN AXLE MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING EACH PLATE MEMBER AT ITS RESPECTIVE CENTER. 